Environmental Assessments are Mangled and Botched by Canadian Government

Environmental Law Site

It is commonly held that too much legislation is being rammed through Parliament without adequate consultation and the proper approval of members of the House of Commons who are left out of the back room machinations.  Ceres, an American organization  has very thorough podcasts about environmental actions and businesses wishing to work within an ecologically sound framework.

Ceres Mission Statement: 

Integrating sustainability into day-to-day business practices for the health of the planet and its people.

Reputable businesses know the parameters required by governments when setting up a business plan.  

Here is one particularly pointed podcast speaking to the issue of the importance of having a sound business partnership between industry and environmental law.

 
Re-Energizing America: How Passing Climate and Energy Legislation Can Keep the U.S. Competitive in the Global Race for Energy

Posted on May 25, 2010

In this episode, we speak with Kevin Parker, Global Head of Deutsche Asset Management, about the need for a strong regulatory environment that will spur energy investment here in the U.S. instead of sending investment dollars outside our borders.

Listen to this podcast

What went wrong with the Conservative government approach is very clearly outlined here:  WCEL
Too fast, too haphazard, delays due to not enough information provided by the company.  Sloppy.  Unprofessional all round. The amount of influence from large corporations to get access to oil, gas, land rights is not being adequately scrutinized with any criticism of resultant fallout on environment.

Done correctly, EA is more than a bureaucratic process. EA can be an effective long term planning tool to assist the government in making decisions that recognize environmental and societal values, identify alternatives for human uses of and development of resources, prioritize how resources are used within ecological limits and advance the kind of Canada in which we believe the majority of Canadians want to live.

It is safe to say that none of these processes or safeguards are being implemented in the planning stages for the tar sands.  The auditors report, the EA have recommendations, none of which have been met.  Evasion, postponement of accountability, and more legislation rushed and unfairly done is the strategy of this government.